Unicorn Shafts?

[sumadoggie 17]

Who has found their unicorn shaft(s)?  I went through trying most of the Obans, a few Padersons, some USTs, Aldila Rouge 125, a Nunchuk (!), Accras and others over the past few years trying to find something I really connect with (almost all of which I bought second hand).  Many of which I really liked.  Only a couple were in my bag for more than a season.  Some of which I flipped almost right away.  When I first saw the Diamana X'17 I was pretty intrigued.  There was no way I wanted to pay the $750 MSRP for the shaft.  Having tried out many shafts I have a good idea of what I'm looking for and how the manufacturers describe what they're selling raltive to how they perform.  I thought the X'17 would be really great to try out.  

End of last season I got my hands on a Fujikura TR 857 and put it in my driver.  I really liked it, but thought I'd like it more in my fairway woods.  So I put the first shaft in my 3W and then got ahold of a second shaft off eBay and put it in my 5W.  Looove them for my fairway woods.  Smooth, responsive and flow beautifully into the ball.  In my hybrids, I stumbled onto the Adila Tour Green which feels more like light steel than graphite, which I like.  And I can really step on it and it just keeps up with me.  Also at the end of last season I said screw it and got a new X'17 70 X (not MSRP) for my Z585 driver.  I will be buried with that shaft.  And the second X'17 I bought to put in a Z785 head.  And then I bought a X'17 X 60 with a Taylormade adapter when it came up at auction and stuck it in an M5 head.  Needless to say, I've became a bit impulsive about this shaft.  I didn't pay retail for any of the three shafts and also bought the heads second hand, so I don't feel terrible about the dent in the wallet.  You could not pry them out of my cold dead hands.

What is your unicorn shaft?  Have you opened your wallet for it?  Has anyone tried the uber-$$$ JDM shafts?  What's your experience?

[aerospace_ray 789]

2 hours ago, sumadoggie said:

Who has found their unicorn shaft(s)?  I went through trying most of the Obans, a few Padersons, some USTs, Aldila Rouge 125, a Nunchuk (!), Accras and others over the past few years trying to find something I really connect with (almost all of which I bought second hand).  Many of which I really liked.  Only a couple were in my bag for more than a season.  Some of which I flipped almost right away.  When I first saw the Diamana X'17 I was pretty intrigued.  There was no way I wanted to pay the $750 MSRP for the shaft.  Having tried out many shafts I have a good idea of what I'm looking for and how the manufacturers describe what they're selling raltive to how they perform.  I thought the X'17 would be really great to try out.  

End of last season I got my hands on a Fujikura TR 857 and put it in my driver.  I really liked it, but thought I'd like it more in my fairway woods.  So I put the first shaft in my 3W and then got ahold of a second shaft off eBay and put it in my 5W.  Looove them for my fairway woods.  Smooth, responsive and flow beautifully into the ball.  In my hybrids, I stumbled onto the Adila Tour Green which feels more like light steel than graphite, which I like.  And I can really step on it and it just keeps up with me.  Also at the end of last season I said screw it and got a new X'17 70 X (not MSRP) for my Z585 driver.  I will be buried with that shaft.  And the second X'17 I bought to put in a Z785 head.  And then I bought a X'17 X 60 with a Taylormade adapter when it came up at auction and stuck it in an M5 head.  Needless to say, I've became a bit impulsive about this shaft.  I didn't pay retail for any of the three shafts and also bought the heads second hand, so I don't feel terrible about the dent in the wallet.  You could not pry them out of my cold dead hands.

What is your unicorn shaft?  Have you opened your wallet for it?  Has anyone tried the uber-$$$ JDM shafts?  What's your experience?

So it must be nice for some of you guys to have swings that need a X flex shaft. Geezzzzz I am just trying to keep in the R flex area .

The fitters after seeing my numbers always say "you'll do fine with stock shaft offerings" . Just once I want them to offer an exotic "unicorn" type shaft. All the ones you referenced sound nice and appear $$$ but I say go for it if you can. 

[sumadoggie 17]

Yah, I've plenty plenty of time at my club builder-fitter so I knew what I was looking for when I went hunting.  I think I'm done with shafts at this point.  Who has a putter that holes the ball every time?  Looking for that next.

[dlow206 10,582]

In my mind, I think the Ventus Red Velocore is my unicorn shaft. It is currently working well for me.

[PlaidJacket 7,737]

I wouldn't describe my favorite shaft a unicorn  - but I have one that works for me. That's really all I care about. As many long time forum members know... I'm not a shaft guy. That means I don't give a S what kind of tech/data/specs/graphics any shaft have attached to them. All I care about is "does it work for me?" When I hit the ball is my flight good? Is my distance good? Good dispersion pattern? Does the shaft feel good? That's it. Nothing else matters to me. Data? What data? I see the data every round.

My favorite shaft (the one that works best) for my driver for the past 5-6 years has been a stock offering made by Fujikura. The shaft is labeled: TaylorMade Fujikura Speeder 57. Printed on the shaft is: Fujikura Precision Engineered, 57 grams, Flex S. Pretty sure it's not an expensive shaft. That's all I know or care about it. This particular shaft originally came paired with a 2014 TaylorMade SLDR I own. About a year ago I guess; I purchased a Exotics EXS driver. It came with a stock Mitsubishi Tense CK Series 60 Flex S. Hated it. Everything was wrong about this shaft and my expectations for the driver in general. I tried a couple of other Tense flavors and one other brand/type that I've forgotten. Nodda. Then I decided to try the old Speeder shaft before giving up. Walla! I was back in business. And just like my old SLDR - Speeder combo this Exotics EXS Speeder combo is a fairway machine too. I have since purchased a backup Speeder shaft just in case. Will it be the same and perform as well if I need it one day? Maybe. Maybe not.

 

[jlukes 16,185]

Unicorn shafts only exist for people that don’t get fit and randomly buy shafts based on what they read or watch online. 
 

If one gets a proper fitting then they’d come away with shafts that fit their swing rather than burning through money on the 2nd hand market with trial and error. 

[chisag 17,568]

6 hours ago, jlukes said:

Unicorn shafts only exist for people that don’t get fit and randomly buy shafts based on what they read or watch online. 
 

If one gets a proper fitting then they’d come away with shafts that fit their swing rather than burning through money on the 2nd hand market with trial and error. 

 

...  There is no question getting fit is your best option. But if you know what kind of shaft works best for your swing from a previous fitting, it can be fun trying different shafts. Mid torque, mid spin, mid tip stiffness and mid trajectory shafts work best for my swing and I have bought and sold several shafts that fit that category. Some I have really enjoyed are the Rogue Tour Black 110, AD-MT6, Tensei Orange, Even Flow Blue and the Atmos TS Blue.  Have I lost some money experimenting? Sure although not an egregious amount, but that comes with the fun of trying different shafts. That said, things can change over the years and new heads can mean perhaps a softer/stiffer tipped shaft will work better in my new Extreme. I was planning a fitting inPhoenix over the winter but Covid derailed that plan, but I will be getting fit again in the near future. 

[MadMex 523]

8 hours ago, jlukes said:

Unicorn shafts only exist for people that don’t get fit and randomly buy shafts based on what they read or watch online. 
 

If one gets a proper fitting then they’d come away with shafts that fit their swing rather than burning through money on the 2nd hand market with trial and error. 

I resemble that remark, sort of,,,,,, some years ago, I saw on ebay, a Callaway XR-16, 10.5  driver with a Matrix 5X3 white tie, regular flex.  my winning bid was $99.99. BEST driver combo I ever had, until earlier this year. I saw a Cobra F-8 with a Aldila 2KXV Blue on the used rack at the PGA Superstore, had to try it against my XR-16.  Same monitor same balls, 5-7 more yards with longest 15 yards longer.Not paying $289,, so, off to eBay, $129 w/shipping,  loved until the shut down. 

[sumadoggie 17]

20 hours ago, jlukes said:

Unicorn shafts only exist for people that don’t get fit and randomly buy shafts based on what they read or watch online. 
 

If one gets a proper fitting then they’d come away with shafts that fit their swing rather than burning through money on the 2nd hand market with trial and error. 

Boop beep beep.  Me golf robot.  Me only play what me told to play.  Meep boop bop.  

 

Lighten up dude.  Plenty of fitting has happened here.  Golf - and golf equipment - is fun.  Jeez.

Edited July 20, 2020 by sumadoggie

[chaeslounge 9]

Anyone try the Steadfast shafts?  small U.S. company in Missouri.

[Nihonsei 5]

On 9/10/2020 at 12:26 PM, chaeslounge said:

Anyone try the Steadfast shafts?  small U.S. company in Missouri.

The only mention I have found for Steadfast shafts here, I want this community perspective! I too would like to hear any review or speculative opinion. Should this get it's own thread? Very Low Torque intrigued me, highly informative / convincing site too. Here is an answer to a question in their FAQ: "What makes Steadfast Shafts perform so well? What's technology? We start with premium carbon fiber that costs 10 times more than what our competitors use. This premium material (and some proprietary manufacturing processes we can’t share) allow us to create finely tuned, superlight, and effectively “spineless” shafts with less than 1 degree of torque (twisting) that deliver the most distance and accuracy for YOUR swing (fast, medium or slow)…and you get these performance gains regardless of how you adjust your driver." 

"We offer a 30-DAY SATISFACTION / FLEX GUARANTEE"....."We offer a 3-YEAR PERFORMANCE GUARANTEE".....

"And we offer a LIFETIME PRODUCT GUARANTEE: If your shaft ever breaks, we will replace it for you at no charge and with no questions asked."

 

i put one in the cart but am hesitant to purchase. At $99 with w/ adapter and grip installed, is this too god to be true? Sounds like a "Unicorn" for sure and with little financial risk.

Anybody think this is an introductory price and will go up once a good word gets out?

Steadfastgolf DOT Com .....VERY INTERESTING!!!

 

 

We believe everyone should able to benefit from -- and afford -- the performance gains that come from playing premium golf shafts.

Edited September 13, 2020 by Nihonsei
Wrong info / change a line

[TENBUCK 102]

The Steadfast shaft is an interesting one. Makes a lot of claims like they use premium carbon fibers that cost 10x as much as their competitors use, I also haven't see any back-up of their claims, and they won't submit their shafts for OE testing, but still I'm intrigued. A golf shaft, tip and a grip for $99

Either this is a true revelation or may be as Barnum once said...............

 

[Smellis745 537]

My only argument to fitting vs trial and error is with smaller fitters when there aren’t enough varying lengths, tipping length, etc... to test with.  Had it not been for shaft hoeing, I never would’ve gotten my hands on the Aldila Synergy Black.  I’m not currently gaming that shaft, but it’s still my all time favorite, just didn’t work as well in the M5.  It is definitely more expensive, but I like the trial and error method with shafts.  It helps when, like what @chisag said, you have a good idea of shaft profiles that work for you.  I’m far from a pro and my swing is not always the same day to day.  Because of this, what I see on a launch monitor today may not lead to real world results tomorrow.  Plus, it’s just fun.

[Hoyoymac 286]

In regards to shaft/club unicorns and the fitting conundrum.

Based on my own experience of being fit multiple times over the years; a fitting is based on how you were swinging on that particular day.  It may have been a good swing day or a bad swing day.  

How a shaft, or club/head/shaft/grip combo performs long term over a season is a different thing altogether.  

There is certainly room for both tinkering and fitting.

Professional golfers have the benefit of launch monitors, tour vans, club fitters, swing coaches, and yet once they find a shaft/head/grip combo that they like and works for them consistently are reluctant to make too many changes. If they are not getting the consistent results they need or want they change quickly.

The best way to tell if you have confidence in a club/shaft/grip combo Is how often you use the club.  If there is a club in your bag that you rarely reach for anymore I would suggest you change it out to something that performs better and more consistently.

Once you find a shaft/grip combo that works well, copying it to your other clubs is a good idea.  

The shaft that has worked well for me in my fairway woods is the Fujikura Fuel shaft.  Trying it now in my driver too.

 

[Micah T 1,443]

My unicorn is the Mitsubishi Tensei ck Pro white 60 gram: including the grip, it was pushing $450 out the door, which on top of the G410+ makes my driver $800 [emoji33]. But worth every penny? Oh hell yes! My misses are so much better, and a bomb is still a bomb. I’ve been thru multiple drivers and shafts since I started playing, but this is “the” shaft for me: it didn’t matter what OEM’s head was on the shaft, the results were the same.


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[RookieBlue7 1,704]

Mine is very clubhead dependent but the original HZRDUS T1100 prototype that is in my bag hasn’t been supplanted since I got it before the retail release. 

[JDHolmes 212]

Ive been through my share of fittings and shafts, both stock and handcrafted. I've just sold off my last three extra drivers and am down to one from 13. Shafts went with the heads certainly. I do still retain about a dozen driver shafts that will be moving to new homes soon.

Ive been through all Cobra stock variations plus hancrafted project x shafts here. TM M4 gine with three shafts, epic rogue, flash, big bertha dbd, with 6 shafts, pings offerings. Long story to get to the point...presently, G400 driver with a Project X LZ handcrafted, 5.5 flex (which can stand up to a 110 mph swing speed).

Chosen because its straight, reasonably long, and consistent. Its the combination that works for me.

(Yes, im a club ho)

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[jayjay0808 1,206]

I typically will go get fit. However, on a spur of the moment I was cruising ebay and found a brand new uncut Project X Handcrafted M66  Proto in X-stiff for like $49 bucks. I emailed Don Brown and he confirmed it was real and one of only 3 that was made for a Georgia Alum that was currently on the PGA Tour. He said it was close to a Hzrdus Black but not quite and suggested I tip it 1.5 inches. I through that thing in my Tour Edge E8 Beta and it was a bomber and very straight. Sadly the head cracked and instead of getting a new head I went and got fit for another driver and ended up selling the M66 Proto... I wish I never did

[Hotdocta 92]

Mine us to be tour ad bb....  but know the xc is my new love.   It is everything the bb was except a bit more stable

[Jackal 151]

I've been to some fittings, but never an extensive one.

They usually had on hand what was offered by the manufacturer that year.

No specialty ADDI or anything.

Fortunately, the shafts that have fit me are the popular garden variety.

After borrowing and demo playing several shafts.

My driver is: Tensei White ( non-pro).

3 wood: Fujikura Fuel

5 wood: Aldila Tour Green

Nothing fancy, but they work every round.

Up until a year ago, Matrix Red Tie was my go to. 

Edited October 20, 2020 by Jackal